Bill Text: IL HR1146 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, PJM Interconnection, LLC, and the Mid-Continent Independent Systems Operator to adopt rules and policies to ensure the continued operation of nuclear power plants in Illinois; urges the United States Environmental Protection Agency to adopt certain rules concerning the use of nuclear energy; urges State agencies to review federal greenhouse gas regulations and adopt policies to promote economic activity in Illinois; urges the examination of existing policies regarding the transmission of electricity to other states; and urges the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power Agency, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to prepare reports concerning the potential impacts from the premature closure of existing nuclear power plants and to present those reports between November 15, 2014 and the adjournment sine die of the 98th General Assembly.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-05-29 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel V. Beiser [HR1146 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HR1146-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Reliable, clean, and affordable electricity is | ||||||
3 | vital to Illinois' economic growth, jobs, and the overall | ||||||
4 | interests of its citizens; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Illinois' nuclear power plants provide over half | ||||||
6 | of the State's total electricity generation and are licensed to | ||||||
7 | generate affordable electricity for Illinois families and | ||||||
8 | businesses for decades into the future; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Nuclear energy was a prime contributor to Illinois | ||||||
10 | having the eighth lowest average price of electricity in the | ||||||
11 | United States in 2013, and the State's low-cost energy | ||||||
12 | resources give it a significant advantage for attracting and | ||||||
13 | retaining businesses of all kinds and provide reliable | ||||||
14 | electricity to Illinois families; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The premature closure of nuclear power plants | ||||||
16 | could increase prices for families and businesses; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Illinois' nuclear power plants provide over 92% of | ||||||
18 | Illinois' emissions-free and carbon-free electric generation | ||||||
19 | and are the only greenhouse gas (GHG) free source of | ||||||
20 | predictable, non-intermittent, and reliable electric | ||||||
21 | generation; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Illinois' nuclear power plants produce enough | ||||||
2 | electricity to power 4 cities the size of the City of Chicago, | ||||||
3 | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Illinois' nuclear power plants are an enormous | ||||||
5 | economic engine for the State, employing more than 5,300 | ||||||
6 | workers across 43 counties in high-paying jobs that average 36% | ||||||
7 | above local wage rates, with a total direct payroll in Illinois | ||||||
8 | of $550 million a year; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Every year, the State's nuclear power plants | ||||||
10 | employ an additional 1,300 temporary employees periodically | ||||||
11 | throughout the year, which reflects an additional total annual | ||||||
12 | payroll of over $200 million; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The economic activity generated by the 6 Illinois | ||||||
14 | nuclear power plants supports more than 13,000 additional jobs | ||||||
15 | across virtually every sector of the State's economy, resulting | ||||||
16 | in hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditures at thousands | ||||||
17 | of local and State businesses; and
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18 | WHEREAS, The State's nuclear power plants contribute | ||||||
19 | nearly $130 million to local property taxes, which are used to | ||||||
20 | fund school districts and other community projects, and these | ||||||
21 | plants also pay over $26 million in Illinois payroll taxes and |
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1 | $22 million in payments to the Illinois Emergency Management | ||||||
2 | Agency; and
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3 | WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of | ||||||
4 | Energy's Energy Information Administration, Illinois' | ||||||
5 | investment in nuclear, wind, and solar clean energy resources | ||||||
6 | makes it the nation's top producer of emissions-free | ||||||
7 | electricity; and
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8 | WHEREAS, On June 25, 2013, the President of the United | ||||||
9 | States ordered the United States Environmental Protection | ||||||
10 | Agency to propose GHG regulations for existing power plants by | ||||||
11 | no later than June 1, 2014 and to finalize those regulations by | ||||||
12 | no later than June 1, 2015; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Illinois and all other states will be required to | ||||||
14 | submit compliance plans to meet the new federal requirements by | ||||||
15 | June 1, 2016; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Nuclear energy has played a substantial role in | ||||||
17 | the achievement of GHG emission reduction goals to date, and | ||||||
18 | continued operation of Illinois nuclear power plants is vital | ||||||
19 | to Illinois' ability to economically meet new federal | ||||||
20 | regulations and provides an essential counterbalance to | ||||||
21 | emissions from carbon-emitting generating plants, thereby | ||||||
22 | allowing the State to maximize its fossil fuel advantage and |
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1 | achieve average GHG emission rate requirements; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Various industry analysts and consultants, | ||||||
3 | academic analyses and studies, and market publications have | ||||||
4 | concluded that some Illinois nuclear power plants, like others | ||||||
5 | around the country, are at risk of premature shutdown due to a | ||||||
6 | variety of electric transmission and economic factors as well | ||||||
7 | as the failure of competitive wholesale markets and energy | ||||||
8 | policy to recognize nuclear power for its reliability and clean | ||||||
9 | energy attributes; the premature shutdown of one or more of | ||||||
10 | these valuable assets will most likely cause economic, social, | ||||||
11 | reliability, and environmental harm to Illinois families and | ||||||
12 | businesses; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Energy, grid | ||||||
14 | operators, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | ||||||
15 | commissioners have cautioned that the premature shutdown of | ||||||
16 | nuclear power plants could jeopardize both the nation's | ||||||
17 | electric reliability and the ability to address climate change; | ||||||
18 | and
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19 | WHEREAS, In November 2013, 4 of the world's preeminent | ||||||
20 | climate and energy scientists, Dr. Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie | ||||||
21 | Institution for Science, Dr. Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts | ||||||
22 | Institute of Technology, Dr. James Hansen of Columbia | ||||||
23 | University, and Dr. Tom Wigley of the National Center for |
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1 | Atmospheric Research, released an open letter calling on world | ||||||
2 | leaders to support nuclear energy, concluding that "in the real | ||||||
3 | world there is no credible path to climate stabilization that | ||||||
4 | does not include a substantial role for nuclear power"; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Closing even a few nuclear power plants could make | ||||||
6 | achieving State and national carbon reduction goals difficult | ||||||
7 | or impossible; after the January 2012 shutdown of a nuclear | ||||||
8 | power plant in California, the state's carbon dioxide output | ||||||
9 | increased by 35% in the first year, according to the California | ||||||
10 | Air Resources Board, and increased generation costs in the | ||||||
11 | state by about $369 million, equivalent to a 15% increase in | ||||||
12 | total generation costs, during the 12 months following the | ||||||
13 | January 2012 shutdown, according to a working paper issued by | ||||||
14 | the Energy Institute at Haas; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Germany embarked upon an energy policy that was | ||||||
16 | designed to eliminate reliance upon nuclear power and, at the | ||||||
17 | same time, reduce GHG emissions; however, with the dramatic | ||||||
18 | reduction of reliance upon nuclear power in Germany, GHG | ||||||
19 | emissions are rising, not falling, while electricity costs have | ||||||
20 | skyrocketed; and
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21 | WHEREAS, It is of the highest importance that the State of | ||||||
22 | Illinois preserve its existing clean energy resources as a | ||||||
23 | means of complying with federal laws, keeping electricity costs |
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1 | stable and affordable, ensuring grid reliability, and | ||||||
2 | continuing its national leadership in the generation of | ||||||
3 | reliable and clean energy; therefore, be it
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4 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
5 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
6 | we urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, PJM | ||||||
7 | Interconnection, LLC, and the Mid-Continent Independent | ||||||
8 | Systems Operator to expeditiously adopt market rules and | ||||||
9 | policies, including transmission expansion rules and policies, | ||||||
10 | that will ensure the continued operation of the existing fleet | ||||||
11 | of nuclear power plants in Illinois; and be it further
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12 | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental | ||||||
13 | Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately adopt rules that treat | ||||||
14 | low-carbon resources, like nuclear power plants, equally, | ||||||
15 | regardless of age or fuel source; provide flexibility to the | ||||||
16 | State; and require actions to secure the continued operations | ||||||
17 | at Illinois' nuclear power plants as a compliance mechanism to | ||||||
18 | meet any new federal GHG regulations and, further, to adopt | ||||||
19 | rules that allow the State to offset and balance emissions from | ||||||
20 | fossil fuel electric generation with emissions-free nuclear | ||||||
21 | generation; and be it further
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22 | RESOLVED, That we urge the appropriate State agencies to | ||||||
23 | review these impending rules in order to adopt policies to take |
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1 | advantage of this State's leadership in clean energy | ||||||
2 | production, to continue to provide thousands of high-paying | ||||||
3 | direct and indirect jobs across Illinois, to support hundreds | ||||||
4 | of millions of dollars of economic activity for the Illinois | ||||||
5 | economy, to encourage continued investment in these assets, to | ||||||
6 | provide jobs for the building trades and others, and to provide | ||||||
7 | a strong tax base for local communities throughout Illinois; | ||||||
8 | and be it further
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9 | RESOLVED, That in order to take advantage of Illinois' | ||||||
10 | clean energy advantage and to position the State to become a | ||||||
11 | hub of clean energy production for other states, we must | ||||||
12 | further examine existing policies regarding the transmission | ||||||
13 | of electricity to other states; and be it further
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14 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Commerce Commission to | ||||||
15 | prepare a report examining the State's and grid operators' | ||||||
16 | ability to expand transmissions to allow Illinois to transport | ||||||
17 | clean electricity to other parts of the nation, as well as any | ||||||
18 | legislative impediments, and the impact on residential, | ||||||
19 | commercial, and industrial electric rates from the premature | ||||||
20 | closure of Illinois' nuclear power plants; and be it further
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21 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Power Agency to prepare | ||||||
22 | a report showing how the premature closure of existing nuclear | ||||||
23 | power plants in Illinois will affect reliability and capacity |
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1 | for the Midwest region; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Environmental | ||||||
3 | Protection Agency to prepare a report showing how the premature | ||||||
4 | closure of existing nuclear power plants in Illinois will | ||||||
5 | affect the societal cost of increased GHG emissions based upon | ||||||
6 | the EPA's published societal cost of GHG; and be it further
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7 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Commerce and | ||||||
8 | Economic Opportunity to prepare a report showing how the | ||||||
9 | premature closure of existing nuclear power plants in Illinois | ||||||
10 | will affect jobs and the economic climate in the affected | ||||||
11 | areas; and be it further
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12 | RESOLVED, That we urge the findings in those reports to | ||||||
13 | include potential market-based solutions that will ensure that | ||||||
14 | the premature closure of these nuclear power plants does not | ||||||
15 | occur and that the dire consequences to the economy, jobs, and | ||||||
16 | the environment are averted; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That we urge the findings from those reports to | ||||||
18 | be presented to the General Assembly and the Governor between | ||||||
19 | November 15, 2014 and adjournment sine die of the 98th General | ||||||
20 | Assembly for consideration and appropriate action; and be it | ||||||
21 | further
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1 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | delivered to Governor Pat Quinn; the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
3 | delegation; Administrator of the United States Environmental | ||||||
4 | Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy; Acting Chairman of the | ||||||
5 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Cheryl LaFleur; | ||||||
6 | Secretary of the United States Department of Energy, Ernest | ||||||
7 | Moniz; President and Chief Executive Officer of PJM | ||||||
8 | Interconnection, LLC, Terry Boston; and President and Chief | ||||||
9 | Executive Officer of the Mid-Continent Independent Systems | ||||||
10 | Operator, John Bear.
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